Mahatma Gandhi International School

On 27 March 2009, students of Grade 11 presented their interpretation and adaptation of the absurd play- ‘Waiting for Godot’ as an integral part of their curriculum. They put up this show after 6 weeks of intensive hard work and got raving reviews for their sensitive and thoughtful interpretation of the play.

The theatre of the absurd is a term coined by the critic Martin Session for the work of a number of play-writes, mostly written in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Some of the famous play-writes are Samuel Beckett, Arthur Adamov, Cugene Ionesco, and Harold Pinter. The genre of theatre was strongly influenced by the traumatic experience of the second world war, which showed the total impermanence of any values, and highlighted the precariousness of human life and its fundamental arbitrariness. The absurd theatre can be seen as an attempt to restore the importance of myth and ritual to our age, by making man aware of the ultimate realities of his condition. Absurd plays assumed a highly unusual, innovative form, directly aiming to startle the viewer, shaking him out of this comfortable, conventional life of everyday concerns.

Student comments-
“We have learnt to laugh and we have learnt to cry in life that constantly changes. The Theatre of the absurd explores these ideas in an innovative manner, which at first sight may seem weird however the deeper you dive into it the less absurd it seems and it tends to become a reflection of our modern lives. Opposing normal plays it does not have a linear story nor a conventional plot but is random and discusses the subconscious of the human mind. Samuel Beckett was known to be one of the most famous playwrights in this style of theatre and Waiting For Godot was part of the most appreciated pieces of work. Critics described this Waiting for Godot as a tragic comedy in which ‘Nothing Happens Twice’…

On the occasion of world theatre day DP 1 has brought to you one of the most bizarre play of a lifetime , So sit back and have an Absurd Time where Hope Is all that one has to pass time!”
- Sharmeen Attarwala (anchor, art director)

“During our production we followed one main rule: To always have a reason behind everything we did. In a play like ‘Waiting For Godot’ you discover something new every time you read it or watch it. We want the audience to think and reflect to find that every part of our production fits together – like a puzzle.”
- Lena Mallmann (director)

“It was wonderful to have such a challenging production in the first year of the diploma programme. I’ve bonded in a special way with my classmates and the production was possible through the team effort that was put in by the entire class, not only the theatre students. I’ve learnt a lot about acting and dramatic performance.”
-Zara Desai (lead actor)

‘Waiting for Godot’
Venue: Mahatma Gandhi International School
Date: 27 and 28 March Time: 7:00pm

DIRECTOR: Lena Mallmann (exchange student from Germany)
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Kanisha Modi
STAGE MANAGER: Janvi Karwal
SET DESIGN: shripal shah, sharmeen attarwala
PROPS: Kanisha Modi
LIGHT AND SOUND: Sharmeen Attarwala, Akash Sharma
ACTORS: Zara Desai, Shriral Sagara, Krina Prajapati, Parin Sanghvi, Akash Sharma
COSTUME AND MAKE UP: Pooja Shah

TEACHERS: Anjou Musafir, Nandita Desai
PHOTOGRAPHY: Lissa Chazot
VIDEOGRAPHY: Benjamin Mailian